If you are one of the many individuals who do not necessarily feel happy, then this article was written for you.

Happiness is a very real possibility for you and this article will discuss how you can achieve it.

If you are unhappy, then you likely have a valid reason. There are so many horrible things in this world that can affect people in negative ways. Accordingly, some of your past experiences and obstacles may contribute to your depression or unhappiness. While these factors are unfortunate and can seem impossible to overcome, they should not control your life or your mood.

Ultimately, YOU determine your sentiments and feelings. The key to happiness is mind control.

You do not control how other people treat you and you do not control the challenging situations that life may throw at you, but you do control your reaction to obstacles and negativity. You have full control over your mind, feelings and sentiments. Therefore, your happiness is your choice and your choice alone.

To begin being happy, acknowledge the power that you have over your mind and your happiness. Once you become aware of how much control you have over your own mind and your own happiness, then you can begin to experience it.

Use the power that you have over your mind to create positive thoughts, because your thoughts control your reality. Let me repeat that because it is very important. Your thoughts control your reality!

Step 1: Manage your Past

Being Happy As it Relates to the Past:

Perhaps a bad experience that you were faced with in the past is contributing to your unhappiness. This is understandable, because we have all had our share of bad experiences. My father had an entire secret, second family that we didn’t know about until after he and my mother separated, I’ve contracted STD’s, my debt and student loans reached $80,000 at one point, I got scammed out of thousands of dollars while I was broke and pregnant, and I’ve lived in a home with concrete floors, molded, peeling walls and no furniture. (Attach image)

Those were just a few of the many undesirable situations that I have been in throughout the years, but despite it all, I have always been undeniably happy. Now, you may be thinking “those situations weren’t great, but they dont compare to your bad experiences” Your bad experiences may have been farrrr worse then mine and far worse than many other people’s. Unfortunately, life is not fair in this way. The advantage is that ultimately, it makes you stronger than most and it makes you more capable of overcoming challenges. You are resilient and you can overcome your past.

When you reflect on adverse experiences or situations that you encountered in the past, do not focus on the negative things that came from those experiences. Either completely remove thoughts of bad experiences from your mind, or begin to think of them in a positive context instead of a negative one.

You can put it in a positive context by trying to find the tiniest slither of goodness that may have come from the bad situation. Additionally, focus on the fact that there is no where to go from here except for upwards. Remind yourself that you survived the situation, so you are a stronger individual. Your survival proves that you have the ability to make it through challenges. Lastly, although the experience may have truly been horrible, there is always something worse. Instead of being sad about how bad it was, remind yourself that people experience worse and they are able to make it, so you can too.

Let Go

Although you will think about the past sometimes (and as stated above, you should try to think about it in the most positive context possible), do not harbor it. Don’t reflect on the past too often, because it already happened. No matter how much to think about it, it can not be changed. You have to make the decision to accept it and move forward. You have to remember that the past does not define you or your future.

You are not living in the past, so don’t let your mind live there either.

Step 2: Acknowledge Without Accepting

Being Happy in the Present:

We have decided to let go of the past and live in the present, but what if the past isn’t the only thing contributing to our unhappiness? What if our present situation is causing our sorrow?

If you are currently in the mist of a situation that is contributing to your depression, mind control is also the key to happiness for you. You must think positively. Thinking positively does not mean that you have to lie to yourself, or pretend like your current situation is a good one. It is okay to acknowledge the issues that you have and to admit that a particular circumstance is undesirable. Actually, it is beneficial to recognize and admit that a bad situation is bad, because it will prevent you from being complacent within the situation.

Acknowledge that you are in an unpleasant situation, and avidly work toward getting out of it, but choose to be happy while you are working on this. Do not let the fact that you haven’t been able to overcome the situation yet control your mind or your happiness. Don’t let these challenging times or negativity consume your thoughts. Think about other more positive things. Think about the future and how you will make it through this circumstance. Think about the good things in your life.

You may think that you have experienced more bad in your life then good, but this is may be because you mainly focus and think about the bad. You have undoubtedly experienced at least some good things throughout your life, so focus on appreciating those things. Be appreciate and happy that you are living. You can breathe, you can create thoughts an you can experience the world around you. If nothing else, these are all positive things to be grateful for and to be happy about everyday.

Step 3: Be True to Yourself

Lasting Happiness

Lastly, do what YOU want to do. There are so many different people in the world, so it will be impossible to please everyone. No matter what, there will always be someone who does not approve of you. You can not live your life for them. You have to live your life for you.

Make the choices that you want to make, without placing to much importance on other people’s opinion about your decisions. Don’t let other’s rejections, judgment or disapproval interfere with or determine the way you live your life and don’t let it determine the way you feel about yourself.

For more information on how to obtain personal freedom and learn how to live without fearing other’s judgements and without judging yourself, look into the 4 agreements. By the way, Season to Soar has no connection with the author, or with this book. We are not receiving anything to promote it. It’s just a book that our organization genuinely thinks is worth reading, because it may help you.

If you believe that no one else’s opinion or expectations matter, then you don’t have to try to live up to the outside world’s “standards” or “expectations” and ultimately you can experience greater happiness.

Happiness is your choice.

It is your Season to Soar; Right Now is Your Time to Rise and Experience Happiness

If you know that you want better for your life, but you don’t know where to begin, this compressive guide will be of great value to you. It provides a list of steps that you can start taking immediately. Once implemented, the steps will allow you to achieve success, reach goals and soar in life.

If, you believe that it is your season to soar, and if you are prepared to be proactive and take actions to alter your life, then these tips will assist you throughout your journey to success.

Season to Soar Tip 1:

Be Confident

You are reading this article, so there are likely some aspects of your life that you want to improve. Maybe you want more financial stability, maybe you want to be more successful in your career, or perhaps you want to gain further achievements in education.

Whatever area you want to improve in, start by believing that improvement is possible. Be confident enough in yourself to actually believe and internalize that this is your season to soar and that no obstacle can prevent you from doing so.

Do not underestimate the power of your mind. Positive thinking and confidence has the ability to influence your future. When you think and speak about your goals, say “I will achieve …. “ instead of I want to achieve ….”

If you are confident in yourself, then you will not mind putting in necessary work to achieve your goals. Although you may not see results right away, you will not feel like your efforts are in vein, because you are confident that ultimately your actions will help you achieve your goals. Self confidence will also give you an incentive to take risks. Maybe you need to take a financial risk to invest in your dream goal, or maybe you just need to risk investing your time into your dream instead of using your time toward other things. Taking a leap of faith in yourself will be easier, if you have the confidence that you can and will succeed at the end.

If you learn to truly believe in your ability internally, then you will automatically begin displaying confidence externally as well. Displaying confidence is so critical, because in addition to influencing the way you think and act towards yourself, it will also influences the way others view you.

We can not obtain anything completely on our own. At some point we will have to enlist someone else’s help or resources. When you speak to individuals about what you want to achieve and what you need from them, speak with an air of confidence and purpose.

Believe in yourself, because if you don’t, know one else will.

It’s okay ff you don’t know exactly how to get out of your current situation and into a better one. You are not alone. You are not the only one who doesn’t have an exact plan on how to fix their issues and how to achieve success.

Simply believing that you can do it, even if you don’t know exactly how you will do it, can make a world of difference

So remember, confidence is key, even if you have to fake it until you make it.

Season to Soar Tip 2:

Plan

Okay, so you have the confidence, but how do you actually start achieving the success that you believe you can achieve? First, take a moment to think about exactly what you want. Be specific. What do you want to achieve and when do you want to achieve it by? Do you want to find a consistent and well paying job that makes you happy? Do you want to go back to school? Do you want to just have peace of mind and successful relationships with others?

Take a moment to write down your goals and the things that you want out of life. If necessary, reference external resources to help you create your goals.

Great, now that you have identified exactly what you want, figure out when you would ideally want it. Would you like to achieve these goals in a year, 2 years etc. Choose whatever time frame you feel comfortable with. Don’t force yourself to try to achieve everything all at once.

Next, figure out what actions you need to take to work toward achieving these goals. For example, if your goal is to loose 50 pounds in 1 year, then an action that you would have to take is working out.

Now, create a “to do list” that contains a list of actions to complete every day. The actions can be repeated everyday, or you can come up with new actions for each new day.

Using the lose 50 lbs in a year goal as my example, my action list for monday, tuesday, Wednesday might all say “work out for 20 minutes today”. (this example shows a list containing the same action everyday)

Another example: (this exmple displays different actions everyday) If your goal is to go back to school, then your action list could be Monday: “research schools” …. Tuesday: “call at least one school to get information about signing up” … etc

Look at your list everyday and hold yourself accountable by checking of the action once you have completed it for the day.

To give yourself a little extra motivation, you can also create a vision board. Put all of you goals on a vision board and make sure you place it in an area where you can look at it everyday. The vision board will be a physical reminder of what you are trying to achieve and what you need to focus on to soar to the successful point that you want to reach.

Season to Soar Tip 3:

Focus

If you are an ambitious person, then you may have more than one goal that you really want to achieve. Your idea of success may involve improving many areas of your life. For example, maybe you your idea of a successful life is to to lose weight, strengthen your career and maintain a healthy relationship with your partner.

It will be easier to achieve all of of your goals and ultimately gain success if you tackle each goal one by one.

Have you ever heard the analogy, “How Do you eat an elephant?” The answer to this question is you eat an elephant one piece at a time. You should apply this same mentality when you are working towards achieving success.

Work on one area of your life at a time. Focus on achieving one particular goal and dedicate most of your time and energy toward reaching it.

Once you have successfully achieved one goal, then you can begin to work on your next goal. Slowly alter your focus, time and energy toward your next goal, while still maintaining the one that you have already achieved.

Applying this approach will prevent you from trying to achieve everything at once and becoming overwhelmed.

Season to Soar Tip 4:

Get Off of Your Ass; Be Proactive

The fact that you have visited this website and that you have read this far into this article means that you are on the right track. It proves that you have already started being proactive and taking steps toward achieving greater success and soaring to higher heights. Continue this momentum!

In step 2, you wrote down your goals and in step 3 you decided to focus on one goal at a time. Now, that you have a clear plan on one specific thing to achieve and you have a list of actions that will help you achieve it, go ahead and apply those actions. Don’t just set the goals and then let them fade away after time. Every day, make sure you are taking at least one action that will better yourself and help you achieve your goal. Being proactive means that you need to consistently take these actions.

Do not let one day go by when you are not taking actions toward achieving your goals. Do not procrastinate and do not allow yourself to be lazy.

Season to Soar Tip 5:

Don’t Give Up

Season to soar tip 5 is Don’t give up. If you have set goals, but you were not able to accomplish them within the time frame that you wanted to accomplish them, then just keep trying.

You may feel like you failed and you are not achieving anything, but this is not true. Don’t let set backs deter you. Instead of viewing your failure as a negative thing, view it as a lessen and motivation. Ask yourself why you haven’t been able to accomplish the goal and then try to work on fixing it.

We all fail at times, the difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful one, is that the successful individual is able to rise after they have fallen. They keep working on their goals until they are able to achieve them.

Achieving greatness takes time, so be patient with yourself and do not give up.

Season to Soar Tip 6:

Get Support

No one is able to achieve success on their own. You have to reach out to people who can help you. Your network is your net worth, so prioritize finding likeminded peers to surround yourself with. Allow them to uplift you and help you achieve your goals.

Also, look for a mentor. There are people who have already achieved the same exact goal that you are trying to reach, so utilize them. Establishing a relationship with a mentor will allow you to get advise, learn from other’s experiences and extend your network.

If you have supportive family or friends, then perhaps they can be your support system, or one of them can mentor you. Let them know what your goals are and ask them to help you accomplish them in whatever way they can. Even if there form of support is simply encouraging you or giving you advise, it will help.

If you do not have supportive family or friends, you can find support from other sources. For example you can find people to support you by meeting new friends through networking events. Alternatively, you can seek help from non profit organizations like Season to Soar, you can join the membership or board of an organization, or you can just join any clubs and organizations that interest you. There are more than 7 billion people in the world, so there is defiantly at least one person who will be willing to support you. All you have to do is look for them.

It may also be helpful to find an accountability partner, who is responsible for reminding you to follow through with the daily or weekly actions that you have set for yourself.

Season to soar tip 6 is to balance your physical and mental health. Achieving goals and obtaining success are huge tasks to undertake. Performing these tasks will require extensive time and effort, which in turn will require mental and physical strength. You will not be able to focus on your goals if you are physically drained and tired all of the time. You need energy! … because you will not be able to soar with no fuel.

Now, just because I’m saying you need energy to be successful, does not mean that I want you to add daily energy drinks and more coffee to your diet. The key to obtaining success is to produce healthy, natural energy and use this power to fuel your goals. The energy that your body produces will give you the motivation to persist even when you feel like giving up.

Also ensure that you are getting the blood flowing through your system and raising your endorphins through exercise. If you can not commit to daily exercise, then just commit to what you can. Maybe you could start by try to go for a brief walk or jog at least 3 times a week.

Mental

Your mental health is equally as important as your physical health. Focusing on your goals will be difficult if you are tense, stressed or in a negative mental space.

Maintain a healthy mental state by making a conscious effort to always be positive and uplift yourself. For me advice on creating a positive mental space read the Season to Soar Mentality is Reality post.

You can do this by simply thinking positive thoughts about yourself and others. It is inevitable that sometimes, negative thoughts will run across your brain. When you notice a negative thought developing in your mind, try to stop it and replace it with a different, more positive thought.

There are also many other things that you can do to create a healthy mental state of being for yourself. For example, you can incorporate mediation into your day. You can attend self help seminars. Or, you can watch videos and read articles on positive, motivating topics.

Ultimately, becoming well balanced physically and mentally will allow you to become a stronger individual. If you are your best self in all aspects of your life, then you can also achieve your greatest and most challenging goals.

Season to Soar Tip 8:

Help Others

As addressed in Step 6, you will need to receive support from others at times. Accordingly, be willing to support others when you can. Find a local non profit organization like season to soar and dedicate some time to volunteering with them. Volunteering will allow you to make a positive impact and help disadvantaged communities.

If you do not have time, or just aren’t interested in participating in a non profit organization right now, you can also choose to help others in different ways.

Helping others can be as simple as being kind toward them. Make sure that your daily interactions with people are friendly and pleasant. Choose to add a little goodness to the world by displaying compassion and exuding positivity at all times.

Bonus Tip:

It is your Season to Soar! You will achieve all of your goals and you will obtain success!

During the culture exchange, students from numerous schools in America had an opportunity to connect with students in Accra, the capital of Ghana, West Africa.

Globalization and the world economy is becoming increasing relevant in today’s society. While we are exchanging intellect, goods and culture intercontinentally, underprivileged children are being left behind. Children without resources are unable to experience and benefit from this exchange.

The purpose of virtual culture exchanges is to give disadvantaged children the rare opportunity to participate and claim a place within the global society. By connecting with students in other countries, they are able to gain global awareness, cultural tolerance and a basis for future opportunities to establish international connections in their personal and professional lives as they grow older.

The program has been conducted in numerous schools and has provided cultural exposure to hundreds of children. It was hosted for different age groups and covered a diverse range of both educational and recreational topics. Specifically, students were able to virtually play educational games together and discuss trends such as popular music, dances and food in their specific countries.